An indie rock bassist was granted a protection from abuse order earlier this week against a Penobscot County woman.
The Bangor Daily News reports that Julian Koster was granted the two-year order this past Thursday against 41-year-old Anna Gallons, a former fan and member of the “Elephant 6 Collective” of indie bands.
Koster played bass in the 90’s indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, who’s 1998 album “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” is often cited as one of the greatest indie albums of all time. Neutral Milk Hotel is also associated with other bands from the Elephant 6 Collective, including The Olivia Tremor Control and Beulah.
In 2024, Gallons had publicly accused Koster of grooming and sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She added in her initial accusation online that being “groomed, assaulted, and psychologically and emotionally manipulated” led her to avoid reporting Koster.
Koster said that while he and Gallons had a relationship in 2001 when she was 16 years old, she was above the age of consent in Georgia where she was living at the time.
“When the relationship began I was 28 and Nesey was 16, just before her 17th birthday,” Koster said. “Though this put her over Georgia’s legal age of consent when our relationship began, it was wrong to allow the relationship to happen at all and I’ve apologized to Nesey many times for that. I should have been more responsible about the age gap, but I deny all the other accusations she’s made.”
He also added that in the years since, Gallons and her husband campaigned against him with “thousands of disturbing, abusive, and obsessive messages.”
Attempts by Gallons and her husband to file a counter protection order were denied by a judge.
To read the original Bangor Daily News article, click here.
